


Murdrum

by Wheeler



Category: Trolls (Movies 2016 2020), Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28993503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wheeler/pseuds/Wheeler
Summary: After being accused of murder, Branch takes Poppy on a globe trotting odyssey where they uncover things that will change them forever. Murdrum is not told in chronological order.
Relationships: Branch/Queen Poppy (Trolls)





	1. Diner

The two Trolls were grateful to have found civilization once again. Sitting down in a restaurant booth in the middle of god knows where, Poppy remembered what Branch told her: Just to keep a low profile. She could feel a certain tension in the air and her muscles slowly became tense. She tried to breathe but that failed. Her nerves were being destroyed. Branch grabbed her hand, making sure to be gentle.

BRANCH: Poppy? You okay?

POPPY: I think... I'm going to puke...

BRANCH: You aren't going to throw up. Just take a deep br-

POPPY: Don't you think that's what I'm trying to do?!

He quickly whispered,

BRANCH: Keep your voice down!

POPPY: I-I just want to go home... Okay? This doesn't feel like it's worth the trouble.

BRANCH: We don't have a choice. They'll pin it on us no matter what we say or do.

POPPY: When do you think they'll finally give up...?

BRANCH: Hard to say. But I already pinky promised you that we'd make it out of this alright.

There's nothing more I can do.

POPPY: We could turn ourselves in.

BRANCH: You know that's not an option.

POPPY: Branch... I-I don't know if I can take this anymore...

Tears began to fill her eyes.

BRANCH: No. No. Poppy. Please don't cry.

POPPY: I-I've just been trying to get through this whole thing and I-I...

He whispered loudly with a look of concern present on his face.

BRANCH: You what?!

Poppy pulled at her hair aggressively, her stomach churning ferociously. Before she knew it, she was throwing up all over the table. Everyone started looking at them, especially the owner.

He yelled with great force,

OWNER: Get out! Get out of my restaurant!

BRANCH: We gotta go! Now!

He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the building. Puke ran down her dress as she stumbled blindly. A single siren could be heard in the distance.

BRANCH: This is really bad!

He had no other choice but to take Poppy in his arms and run. Branch made his way down a nearby alleyway. A single cop appeared on each side, trapping the two.

OFFICER: You are under arrest! Put your hands up!

BRANCH: Oh sugar...


	2. Phone Call

Branch sat in his home, and the phone rang. He picked it up almost immediately, holding it up to his ear.

BRANCH: Hello?

There was no answer. Only a faint crackling. This had been going on all night but he tried to not let it get to him. He scoffed and quickly hung up, slamming the phone back down on the receiver. He picked up his journal off of his nightstand and opened it, beginning to write:

"It's raining outside which means I'm stuck in here until tomorrow at the latest. I now rest in a fortified bunker that is deep underground yet I don't feel safe. Not without her... Poppy. She managed to change my life in what felt like a matter of hours and I still can never figure out how she managed to pull it off. I'm known for being stubborn by most but I don't mind. It really doesn't make a difference to me what others think. I might be dead if not for my own paranoia."

Grey dark clouds covered the sky, changing the mood of everyone in the town. Even Poppy, who was known for her usual upbeat personality was feeling a bit more glum than usual. She decided to risk getting wet just to see Branch's face again but she didn't understand why she loved him. They were polar opposites. Two sides of the same coin. That's probably what made their relationship so interesting. She banged on the boulder and yelled out fot him and suddenly, the slot in the welcome mat opened up. Letting her inside, Branch had a few things on his mind. He sat down on his bed, looking a bit distraught. Poppy instantly became concerned, sitting down next to him.

POPPY: Branch? What's wrong?

BRANCH: I don't get it. The phone's been going off all night but when I answer, there's no one on the other end.

POPPY: Oh come on! It's probably just a crank call!

BRANCH: What's the prank? Nothing is being said. I'm not being tricked. Only mildly irritated.

Poppy giggled a bit and Branch's features softened a bit upon hearing it. Her laugh almost always made him feel at ease.

BRANCH: I don't know who it is but I plan to find out.

Poppy's bubblegum pink eyebrows furrowed in confusion

POPPY: How are you going to do that?

BRANCH: I'll trace the call.

He jumped off of the bed, picking up the phone and inspecting it carefully.

POPPY: Do you know how to do that?

BRANCH: I'll figure it out.

She found the whole idea silly but then it came to her. She had finally figured out why she loved him.


	3. Flophouse

Poppy was now officially a fugitive. She didn't exactly love putting it that way but it was the truth that she couldn't deny. She thought Branch knew best and decided to run like he suggested. They had managed to track down an old flophouse which was very low key and far away from Pop Village. It was also good for allowing them to sign in under false names. As Branch looked at the list of check ins, it seemed like that was what everyone else was doing. Entering the room, it was extremely musty. Everything seemed to have some sort of strange stain on it. From the bright red carpet floors to the plain beds with an ugly and outdated floral pattern. Branch couldn’t have cared less but Poppy was a little less than enthusiastic. She plopped herself down on the bed, her head drooping sadly. To add insult to injury, it stunk. It smelt of someone who hadn't washed themselves in weeks and... Something rotting. Branch flicked the light switch on. A dim light turned on but flickered constantly. He shook his head, sitting down next to Poppy.

BRANCH: I know it's not the best but... It's all I can do... For now at least.

Poppy couldn't think of anything to say so she simply shrugged in response. She got up and made her way over to the bathroom door. It seemed to be where the smell was coming from... She slowly cracked open the door and gasped in horror. Her eyes shot open as she began to cower in fear. The walls, the floor, the ceiling. Everything had been painted in blood. A decaying body lied in the bathtub filled with dirty and bloody water. She couldn't think of anything better to do than scream. Branch instantly jumped up from the bed and rushed over, seeing the body and blood. He pulled Poppy into an embrace, attempting to comfort her. She began to cry softly.

POPPY: W-What happened here...?!

BRANCH: I-I don't know...

Poppy pulled away and quickly wiped her tears. Suddenly, she noticed a knife on the ground by the bathtub, the blade drenched in blood. She picked it up in horror, running her delicate pink fingers across the blade, touching the blood...

Something began to happen. Something that couldn't be explained by anyone or anything. The blood was sucked into her body and everything lost its colour. Branch was nowhere to be seen. Horrible, horrible screams pierced her ears but... They sounded as if they were in reverse. With no warning, the body flailed out of the bathtub throwing itself onto Poppy. She screamed as her arm began to move involuntarily, stabbing the knife deep into the victim's body before pulling out again, but now with the wounds healed. The high pitched unscreams haunted her as she moved backwards, the body following her out of the bathroom, still grabbing onto her. Poppy fell to the ground, holding her head.

POPPY: MAKE IT STOP!

Branch was there, everything had color again.

BRANCH: Poppy! What happened?!

Poppy could only answer by crying. She practically fell into his arms, not being able to describe what she had just seen. All she could say was...

POPPY: F-Five stab wounds... All done by the knife. T-The troll was forced into the bathroom beforehand... He tried to fight back.

Her voice broke and she continued crying, not letting go of Branch for fear of losing him.

POPPY: I saw what happened Branch... I don't know how but I did...

Branch's eyes widened as he suddenly heard a loud banging at the front door. Him and Poppy both looked and listened.

?????: Open up the door! This is the manager speaking!


	4. Father

Poppy always looked forward to her dad visiting. She really did enjoy his company. The queen of Pop scrambled every which way to make sure the house was neat. She laid out tea cups onto a small wooden table. It was rickety but she loved it. It had brought her many great memories of dinner with her father. A knock could be heard at the door and she practically sprinted, swiftly opening the door. She was greeted by her father’s signature smile.

POPPY: Dad!

PEPPY: Poppy! I missed you so much!

Poppy leapt into his arms, squeezing him tightly. He let out a warm chuckle, slowly pulling away. His nose went to work, smelling something awfully familiar.

PEPPY: Did you-

She nodded happily, grinning from ear to ear, not even needing to say a word. Peppy and her walked over to the old table, sitting down as Poppy poured hot tea into both of their cups. Her father looked down at the table, smiling sadly as he reflected on the good old days.

PEPPY: You kept this. After all these years.

POPPY: Of course I did! I couldn’t bear to get rid of it.

PEPPY: Your mother would’ve been… So proud. So proud…

Poppy’s smile quickly faded. She never got to know her mother.

POPPY: I… Was actually going to ask about her. That’s why I invited you over…

PEPPY: Oh Poppy. Your mother was… A beautiful soul.

POPPY: How so…?

PEPPY: She was the kind of troll who tried to please everyone. I would always tell her that it wasn’t possible but… She still kept trying. She never gave up, always fighting for what she believed no matter how much oppression she faced.

Warm tears formed in his eyes before escaping, slowing running down his cheeks.

PEPPY: I named you after her. I just wish she could be here to see how far you’ve come.

Her father’s sadness was beginning to rub off on her as a single tear fell to the floor. She slowly hugged him as he began to cry quietly. Poppy felt her heart strings being delicately tugged at

POPPY: She’s here dad… I can feel it...

Poppy put a hand to her heart, feeling it beat…


	5. Cold

The rain had finally decided to let up, which was good news for both Poppy and Branch. Sleeping next to each other, the phone that had been ringing the previous night had been ripped out of the wall. As the sun came up over the horizon to greet the small village, Poppy's eyes began to open slowly. Her vision was blurry, but she soon fixed that by blinking a few times. She realized that she was cradling Branch from behind. The queen took a moment to appreciate how relaxed he looked while sleeping. It was almost as if he was a completely different Troll. Not wanting to wake him up, Poppy slowly but surely pulled her arms away from him. Getting up off the bed and making sure it didn't creak, Poppy spotted his journal on the bedside table and reached for it, contemplating on whether or not she wanted to read through it. It seemed as if she had already made her mind as her hand shot out, grabbing it. Poppy began to flip through the pages, a specific entry catching her eye; the latest one. Her eyes traveled downwards, reading as a smile stretched across her face. She clutched at her heart, realizing just how much she had done for Branch and it made her glad to just how he really felt.

BRANCH: How do you like it?

Hearing his voice made her heart leap. She quickly threw the book up in the air, causing it to land on the other side of the room. She froze, hoping that just maybe he didn't notice. But Poppy knew that was impossible.

BRANCH: I said, how did you like it?

Poppy whipped around to face him, seeing that he was wide awake.

POPPY: H-How-

BRANCH: I was awake the whole time.

He had somewhat of a smug look on his face as he crossed his arms.

POPPY: Oh Branch. I'm so sorry. I really shouldn't have looked through your things.

With fear clearly rising in her tone of voice, the queen began to shake before suddenly being pulled in by Branch before she could even react. The both of them went silent a few moments, simply staring into each other's eyes. Then, their lips met. Poppy finally relaxed, realizing that he wasn't angry with her. This brought her great relief. He pulled away slowly, arms still wrapped around her.

BRANCH: I was going to show it to you anyways.

A smile returned to her face.

POPPY: I love you so much...

Poppy didn't want to let go of the man she truly loved.

BRANCH: Before the Bergens came back... I felt empty. But whenever I'd see you, you'd always make my day just a bit brighter. You made me feel like everything would be alright. I wanted to get to know you but... I was afraid.

She knew exactly how he was feeling and hugged him tightly, Branch immediately felt a new sensation as his eyes began to fill with warm tears

BRANCH: It would get this feeling in my heart, I just didn't know how to bring it out. You're the one who brought me back.

Branch had resisted many tears in his life but this time, it was too much for him to take. He began to... Cry? Poppy couldn't believe what her ears were hearing.

POPPY: I'm glad I could help.

Poppy patted him gently on the back as a way of comforting him. Branch knew that as long as Poppy was around... Everything would be okay.


	6. Woods

The woods were cold, stark, uninviting. Definitely not like the ones back home. But at the moment, Poppy and Branch didn’t really have much of a choice. They had to keep running… Running until they found a safe place. It was more so Branch’s idea. Poppy felt as if she had been dragged into it without much say, but she trusted him with her life and was sure he knew what he was doing. The queen of pop was still terrified after what had happened back at the flophouse. It was something that couldn’t be explained but as they walked, she attempted to piece everything together in her head. As day turned to night, the moon became their guide through the treacherous land. Her feet were becoming sore due to walking on the rough terrain for what felt like hours, slowly turning a bright red. Finally, Branch decided to break the silence and say something as he felt they were in the clear. For now at least.

BRANCH: Are you okay?

POPPY: No… I feel awful. I still can’t explain what happened back there… I’m scared, Branch.

What I experienced back there, felt real.

BRANCH: So, what did happen?

POPPY: I remember touching the blood on the knife and everything around me lost its color. You were just… Gone. Almost like I had been transported to another world. I wasn’t even in control of my own body. I saw how the victim had died… Through the killer’s eyes. All of that freaked me out but then just to make matters worse, everything was playing backwards...

BRANCH: Do you think there might be a reason for that?

POPPY: That’s what I’m trying to figure out. None of this makes any sense.

Branch stopped dead in his tracks, looking down at the ground beneath him.

BRANCH: This should be a good spot to set up camp.

He took his bag off and placed it carefully on the ground, pulling out some kindle and a few rocks. Branch laid out the wood in a very specific way before swiftly rubbing two rocks together which caused sparks to fly up into the air before dropping onto the wood, starting a fire. She had to admit, he was very talented when it came to survival. The queen of pop sat down next to him, leaning on his shoulder and staring at the fire.

BRANCH: We’ll make it through this… I promise.

POPPY: Do you pinky promise?

This caused him to smile. Something he hadn’t done in a while.

BRANCH: Pinky promise.

Their pinkies locked and Branch kissed her on the cheek. This caused Poppy to blush a bit. The moment was about to be ruined as a large and hairy green spider tackled her to the ground, causing her to shriek as she barely managed to hold it off. Branch jumped up, adrenaline beginning to rush through his body. He grabbed a nearby spear that he had made himself and leapt towards the ferocious creature, puncturing it in the face multiple times. As he made deep cuts, purple blood splattered all over his face. He continued to stab until the spider was no longer moving. Branch was panting, dropping to the ground and rubbing his temples due to stress. Poppy’s pupils had become massive, matching her widened eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but instead decided to test out this ability of hers even further. Grabbing the spear, her soft pink fingers gently brushed up against the blood. Branch saw the blood enter her body as her eyes rolled into the back of her skull. He knew he’d have to be extremely careful with what he did next… Seeing it from a perspective other than Poppy’s was absolutely horrifying as she copied all of his movements down to every last twitch of his muscle but doing it in reverse. Moving away from what was going on, Branch bumped into a tree as his jaw dropped. He noticed something that he wished he had never seen. The wounds on the spider were being healed?! This caused Branch to act on impulse and sprint towards her. But it was too late, the spider jumped back to life and Poppy snapped out of it, dropping the spear. Just as the eight legged beast was getting ready to pounce, Branch picked her up protectively… He was going to keep her safe no matter the cost. Even if it meant giving up his own life.


	7. Blood

Branch’s conversation with Poppy had filled him with joy. He actually enjoyed it so much that he decided to continue by going on a walk with her through the village. It was beautiful outside, with a clear blue sky and a bright morning sun that slowly rose over the horizon. The grass was a nice bright green and the flowers were full of color. It was just perfect. They slowly walked along a thin dirt path, smiling and loosely holding hands. As they neared the lake, Branch stopped, looking towards Poppy.

BRANCH: Do you maybe just want to stop here?

POPPY: S-Sure!

They moved closer towards the lake, gazing upon the still, calm waters. Branch turned to look towards Poppy, comfortably smiling as the sun shone down on them. Branch’s smile faded as he spotted something behind Poppy. Poppy tilted her head to the side, a confused look upon her face.

POPPY: Is something wrong?

BRANCH: Oh nothing’s wrong… well, actually, uh, w-what’s that behind you, lying on the sand?

Poppy whipped her head around, looking back at what was behind her. Her eyes widened as she jumped in surprise.

POPPY: W-WHAT IS THAT?!

Branch didn’t reply, he just stared in fear. Suddenly, the beautiful weather the day was supposed to bring wasn’t really as beautiful anymore. There were strong winds, and clouds started to cover up the once beaming sun. Poppy shivered as she watched the blood slowly trickle through the sand, turning it a bright red.

BRANCH: It-it’s a body…

He whispered this in a fearful tone. Poppy couldn’t think of anything to say. The shock and fear of the moment confused her. She didn’t know what to do… to run, or to just stand in shock. Branch looked over at Poppy, wondering what they should do.

At the same time, owner of the Party Shop AKA Sky Toronto was calmly walking along the water, gazing upon the sight. He moved closer towards where Poppy and Branch were, not really paying any attention to where he was going. Poppy turned and looked back behind her, Sky Toronto catching her eye.

POPPY: Branch… look over there!

She exclaimed, pointing towards Sky Toronto.

POPPY: M-Maybe he could help us.

Branch sighed, looking towards the glitter troll. He turned to look at Poppy, lasting fear still visible in his eyes. Poppy was motioning towards Sky Toronto.

POPPY: Over here!

She exclaimed, waving her hands in the air.

BRANCH: Poppy, what could he do?

He asked as he rolled his eyes. Poppy’s hands waving in the air caught Sky Toronto’s eye. He started to head over in their direction, curious as to what was going on. As he moved closer, the body laying on the ground came into view.

SKY TORONTO: W-What did you do!?

He exclaimed, a shocked look upon his face.

POPPY: We didn’t do this! We wanted to see if you could help us!

BRANCH: Sky Toronto, why would WE do this?

SKY TORONTO: Why would I have any reason to believe you?!

Branch looked at Poppy, a worried look upon his face. Poppy glanced at the body again, wondering who would’ve ever done this.

SKY TORONTO: I-I’m calling someone.

He muttered, pulling out a phone. Poppy’s eyes went wide. She looked at Branch, terrified. Branch had the same sort of terrified look on his face.

BRANCH: We have to go!

He exclaimed in a hushed whisper. Without replying, Poppy turned the other way and started to run, only to be grabbed by Sky Toronto.

SKY TORONTO: You’re not going anywhere.

Branch pulled Poppy out of Sky Toronto’s grasp, and started to run. Poppy followed, her breath running short. They stopped in the middle of the forest, Branch leaning against a tree and Poppy sitting on the dirt floor. Suddenly, they heard shouts in the distance.

?????: STOP RIGHT THERE!

Branch pulled Poppy up off the ground and started running, not saying a word. Poppy followed, not questioning what he was doing. They had to leave. They had to run, they had to hide. It was the only way out of this now. He couldn’t prove his innocence. And neither could Poppy. Now, they just had to be fugitives.


End file.
